Saving Rumpelstiltskin
by goldmin
Summary: Belle sneaks into Rumpelstiltskin's troll-guarded prison cell to break him out in exchange for a deal of her own. AU
1. Chapter 1

Saving Rumpelstiltskin

A hooded figure slowly approached the wooden spiked bars of Rumpelstiltskin's prison cell. It paused, momentarily immobile, then threw back the cowl to reveal a young woman with curling auburn hair and a quizzical expression. The imp Rumpelstiltskin noiselessly glided forward to face the still figure. His golden skin glistened in her torchlight, eyes large, intent on her face.

"You're Rumpelstiltskin?" a distinctly feminine voice inquired.

The brooding figure clutched the bars, steel eyes boring into the fair face of his visitor.

"My name is Belle. I'm here to break you out!"

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Belle's grandmother had often whispered of a powerful demon, who had once been a man, locked in the highest tower of the the grey castle. So powerful he could grant any wish but he exacted a terrible price for his aide. Neither diamonds nor gold would entice him, for his alchemical skills were vast. His demands encompassed something infinitely more precious: a child, especially a first born child, the typical rate, or lacking that the promise of a future favor might suffice.

Infamy earned him enemies, for alleviation of desperation allowed common sense to resurface, and all that remained was guilt and anger. Inevitably Rumpelstiltskin was blamed for making such heinous deals despite the benefits obtained when he kept his side of the bargain. Long ago he had assisted the fairy king's only daughter in her wish to marry a human and in retaliation her family had trapped Rumpelstiltskin by a cunning spell that neutralized his power. Placed in a most inaccessible location, he was abandoned, to await eternity.

Only desperation drove Belle to consider her grandmother's stories. Each of her father's brilliant but unsuccessful anti-ogre military strategies only enticed death one step closer. Her heart cried out to see the once bustling village streets now empty, verdant fields now barren, and a village once brimming with life now deserted as her neighbours and friends had fled the approaching hordes. Only a miracle could save her family and her village- or a deal with a devil. Maybe she could arrange both.

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"I want to make a deal with you," the cloaked Belle called out bravely.

"I'm a little bit indisposed at the moment," with a wide sweep of his hand Rumpelstiltskin indicated the bars and cell that made up his prison. The windowless cell occupied most of the top tower floor, a bare circular room of cold mortared stone. A faint wind whispered in Belle's ears and shadows flickered across Rumpelstiltskin's dark face in the torchlight.

"The fairies crave my presence so much that they prepared this quaint little abode for me." Rumpelstiltskin strutted the short length of his cell, head held high and a sardonic grin creasing his face but Belle noticed the once golden coat was now threadbare, the curled locks tangled, the visage grim and weary.

"So come back next year. I can't help anyone from in here." Despite his flippant tone, Belle noticed that he watched her under lowered calculating eyes. "Or better try next century."

"I'm here to help you escape," Belle persisted, "in exchange for helping my village."

"Escape?" he giggled. "Well, dearie," he tiptoed up to the bars and leered at her. Lowering his voice, he whispered conspiratorially, "you may not have noticed, but this prison cell here-it's magic. Only powerful magic can get me out." He raised his voice conversationally. "And you haven't an ounce of magic in you, although that's quite a nasty curse you carry by the way- that I will offer you free of charge."

"Nevertheless, what will it take to break the spell holding you captive?" Belle insisted, her tone polite, purposeful, and not a bit desperate.

"Perhaps you've a little griffin liver on you? Toad toes? No? Maybe a vial of xali flower nectar or powdered dragon heart in your little bag there?" An ebony nail indicated the leather satchel over her shoulder.

"Oh, yes!" Belle exclaimed. "My bag!" She withdrew a cloth wrapped bundle and offered it to him. "I wasn't sure how well they fed you. I thought you might be tired of turning straw into food up here." Belle thrust the package into his hands and began rummaging through her bag.

Rumpelstiltskin stared at her, momentarily bemused by this strange woman offering gifts of food, let alone suggesting she could free him as if all it would take was a wave of a magic wand, an "abracadabra", and "fee fi fo fum" for good measure. Well, the magic wand might help but the magic words were worthless but for entertainment value.

But Belle was not finished with her culinary charity. "I'm sorry these are day old rolls, we're still waiting for food shipments from Tierre," she said apologetically while withdrawing a lumpy cloth and adding it to the one he still ogled in his hands.

"Here's a bag of dried apple slices. Maybe you could save them as a snack for later. I dried them myself," she prattled merrily on, unaware of the look of incredulity growing on Rumpelstiltskin's face.

"Oh, and this is the last meat pie. I actually stole it from the pantry while Cookies had her face in the flour barrel. Don't tell anyone," thrusting another flatter bundle on top of the others. "If you eat it right away, it might still be warm." She dug deeper in the bag mumbling, "where is...? Aha! My favorite for last. The cakes at the war council were irresistible so I saved one of those for you." Licking a finger, she added, "They were the only thing irresistible at the war council."

A smug Belle looked up into Rumpelstiltskin's perplexed face. "That should keep you until I return tomorrow," and she turned toward the door.

"Wait!" Rumpelstiltskin demanded. "How did you get in here?" He dropped the packages in a heap on the floor, but not before a quick sniff of at least one bundle. "The trolls should have smelled you coming even with your poorly crafted invisibility charm," he scoffed, " which incidentally, is worthless- against anyone but humans."

Belle merely grinned, twirling the bone charm on its leather cord around her neck and stepped up to the bars. "Will you accept my deal?"

The puzzled imp leaned partially through the bars to stare into her eyes. "My freedom for the lives of your little village? Of course I agree, " he chortled gleefully. If nothing else it would be amusing to watch. His mind struggled to grasp the audacity, the fearlessness, the foolishness of this Belle who without any magic slid effortlessly into a troll-guarded tower, snuck dinner into a magic cell, and optimistically offered to liberate him from an unbreakable enchantment.

Belle smiled widely. "I will write up the contract and return tomorrow. "


	2. The Contract

Chapter 2

The Contract

Belle had sought out every fireside tale, whispered rumour, or story uttered in hushed tones about the powerful imp's dealings. Rumpelstiltskin was a clever silver-tongued devil, an expert in words who could twist any plea for aid to his use. The tales Belle heard were replete with woe and hardship and anger all aimed at Rumpelstiltskin even though he always kept his bargain and gave exactly what he was asked for. Dealing with the devil was all about the wording of the bargain and Belle knew exactly what she would ask for.

_Contract between Rumpelstiltskin of Dark Castle and Belle of de Grey Castle_

_I , Belle of de Grey Castle, promise to assist Rumpelstiltskin of Dark Castle to escape from his magical jail cell. _

_In exchange for the saving of his precious life through escape from this prison, Rumpelstiltskin promises:_

_-to save Belle's village and castle and inhabitants thereof from the ogres by permanent removal of ogres from the entire land_

_-to rebuild her village and surrounding lands to its highest level of prosperity_

_-upon signing this agreement Rumpelstiltskin will advise Belle if the current contract will result in Belle achieving her desired wishes and if not Rumpelstiltskin will revise contract so Belle will achieve her desired wishes _

_-if during any part of the assisted escape, Belle becomes harmed or incapacitated in any fashion, Rumpelstiltskin will personally care for her in his abode, heal her, and watch over her personally until she is well and chooses to leave._

_-to divine the nature of Belle's curse and assist Belle to gain control of the curse, to be executed in a manner that does not compromise Belle's morals or beliefs (Rumpelstiltskin will not coerce Belle in any way to be involved in or use dark magic in this quest)_  
_  
__Signed: Belle of de Grey Castle__  
__Signed: ____

"Really dearie? You expect all this for what? A little help with an enchantment?" Rumpelstiltskin snorted, holding the long parchment roll distastefully in one hand.

Belle remained unmoved. "Well, just how much is your life worth, Mr Rumpelstiltskin? Infinitely more than my village you said, so the other items in the contract are to even out the deal. And to make sure that you aren't going to trick me." Belle knew very well that the more stipulations and clauses in the contract the safer she would be.

Rereading the contract, Rumpelstiltskin paced in his cell back and forth across the bars then around the curved wall of the cell to end again in front of Belle who stood silently watching. She was clever, this one, but then he had known that the minute she walked through a locked cell door bearing gifts with a smooth glib tongue.

"What is this about you coming to harm? Do you intend to try something dangerous?" Rumpelstiltskin asked.

Belle continued to stare him in the face. "You are a dangerous man, Rumpelstiltskin. It stands to reason that any deal with you will be equally dangerous."

The golden skinned imp's penetrating eyes stared deeply into Belle's. "You're lying," he stated.

Belle strolled leisurely along the line of jagged wooden bars. Rumpelstiltskin's calculating eyes never left her, his brow lined by pensive furrows, his lips twisted and thoughtful.

"I have not said one untrue word," Belle said as she turned to face him, her face a mask, blank and unreadable.

"Oh, no, don't think you can trick a trickster, dearie. Your words were not untrue but you did not answer my question completely." Rumpelstiltskin's narrowed eyes glowed in the torchlight but Belle did not flinch.

"You did not ask for clarity, merely truthfulness," Belle responded.

"Belle of de Grey castle. Why would you come to harm by rescuing me, other than the obvious risk of releasing a powerful sorcerer from a troll-guarded cell in the highest tower of the grey castle? And how do you intend to accomplish this insurmountable task?"

For the first time Belle smiled. She felt strongly compelled to answer Rumpelstiltskin's question and she knew he had used one of the precious magical threads of his golden coat to force an answer from her. Nevertheless she was willing to confess, on her own terms.

Belle answered as succinctly, and enigmatically, as possible. "I will use my curse," she said.

"And which question does that answer? Rumpelstiltskin asked.

"Both" Belle replied reluctantly. To stave off any more questions she pressed, "now do we have a deal?"

"Dearie, I suspect you are way over your head but I think this should be immensely amusing so, why not?" Rumple chortled. "Quill, my dear?" fluidly extending one hand.

With a flourish the contract was signed and Belle and Rumpelstiltskin's fate together was sealed. Belle tucked the contract away on her person and examined the sharpened wooden bars that fronted Rumpelstiltskin's cell. Belle wrapped one hand around a wooden bar and it glowed briefly, outlined in a dim electric blue.

"Not much of a spell on these bars, so it can't be these that keep you in here," Belle mused.

"Clever girl," Rumpelstiltskin growled. "Obviously not or I would have been long gone."

"Then it is connected to you, as I had feared. Give me your hand." Belle extended her hand towards the imp.

Rumpelstiltskin contemplated the woman in front of him. As beautiful as she was- and even he could not ignore the appealing delicacy of her features and her intriguing, if foolhardy, behavior- she seemed to have some hidden magical ability. Several possibilities came to mind on how that could be, none of them very promising for either of them. Another fairy trick, possibly, but seeming a little out of character for the fairies' straightforward rather rigid way of conducting magical business.

Any number of curses connected with magical ability occurred to him but any curse was going to be tough to break and even more difficult to tame. He was going to have a long complicated journey ahead connected with this woman that he had bound himself to. If they both survived.

Rumpelstiltskin offered his hand through the bars and Belle wrapped her own hands around it. The same electric blue aura that had illuminated the wooden bars of his cell earlier now surrounded Rumpelstiltskin's hand. A warmth flowed around his hand and stretched up his arm as Belle studied the hand then turned her eyes to study him.

Rumpelstiltskin was only a little startled to find that her eyes glowed blue as well.

"My restraint is made of fairy magic," he said. "You will have to be very clever to be able to outsmart the magical workings that keep me enslaved."

"Yes," she began but was interrupted by the grating of metal on metal as a key was inserted in the lock of the door behind her.

"Better hide, dearie. Who knows what they would do to you, if they caught you here consorting with the devil imp," Rumpelstiltskin gloated with a snicker.

Dropping his hand Belle whipped her head around briefly to glance behind at the door then turned back to Rumpelstiltskin to grin up at him. "Well, now it all begins."

And so saying, she placed one hand on the bars, and as they glowed eerily as before, she stepped forward and passed right through them.

"Nice, dearie," Rumpelstiltskin murmured as the door began to swing open.

Walking briskly to the side of the cell, Belled leaned against the wall, her outline growing blurred and dim until she completely faded away.

Rumpelstiltskin turned to face his visitors.

A corpulent man in plush royal robes, bejeweled fingers, and a self-important air marched briskly into the cell and up to the bars where Rumpelstiltskin stood contemplating the ceiling. Behind him two beasts roughly clad in tattered leather and an arsenal of weapons waited, blinking beady eyes in the torchlight.

"Where is she? What have you done to my daughter?'" the noble demanded.

Rumpelstiltskin lazily eyed the red-faced man, then executed a very sloppy shallow bow. "Your majesty. You honour me with your presence. What is it that you have mislaid?"

"I've mislaid nothing! My daughter has disappeared and I know you are behind it! " he stormed.

"From behind these exquisitely crafted prison bars?" Rumpelstiltskin queried innocently. "I have no power while the fairy spell holds me captive. Perhaps your wayward daughter is visiting a friend?" He strolled casually across his cell. "Someone irresistible, that she just can't stay away from."

"Perhaps I should take you now to pay a visit to the fairies- " began His Royal Highness and then stopped in mid-sentence, frozen in place.

"That was really unfortunate," Belle said, reappearing from the direction of the cell wall. She stepped forward then stumbled slightly, righting herself quickly. "That was a terrible waste of magic."

Rumpelstiltskin folded his arms across his chest, eyeing her as she swayed. "The mysteries mount. A lost princess now and a mysterious woman with considerable cursed magical power. I would bet they are one and the same."

"It is time to leave now," Belle murmured unsteadily as she stared blearily at Rumpelstiltskin.

Rumpelstiltskin stepped closer to her, noting the slight tremors in her hands, the dim blue glow that began to emanate from her face and arms. Only vaguely did he recall hearing of a magic that consumed the magic user as it was used in turn and dreaded that this may be exactly the nature of Belle's sudden magic.

"Quickly, what are the terms of your curse?" he asked.

Belle swayed as she stared at Rumplestiltskin, eyes ablaze. "I can see... everything. The Sight comes at the end," Belle mumbled. "You turned into the Dark One for …. Bae," she whispered.

Rumpelstiltskin grasped her shoulders, feeling the warmth of the power in her, pulsing hypnotically. He could easily lose himself in the warmth of her touch and the mesmerizing power behind it. He shook her gently.

"What are the terms of your curse? You will soon be completely consumed by this maelstorm you have unleashed. Are the lives of your family and the pathetic people of your village worth so much to you?"

Belle was beyond hearing all of his tirade but slowly answered, "The power grows each time I use the curse's magic, but so does the compulsion to use more magic." She chuckled slightly. "I've never used so much magic before," she said in wonder. "This should be very interesting."

Rumpelstiltskin stared at Belle as a blue haze surrounded her whole being and his hands began to smolder still clutching her shoulders. She leaned toward him placing burning hands on his chest.

"You were once a loving kind father, a dutiful kind husband. So brave and ready to sacrifice..." Belle stared deeply into his soul. That Belle could read him like a strange new book left Rumpelstiltskin feeling entirely disconcerted but her compelling blue eyes were completely mesmerizing.

"You have strayed so far but still... Still there at your core, still the kind man with the heart of..." Belle swayed again. "Maybe we should leave while we can."

Rumpelstiltskin caught her before she collapsed as their world dissolved around them. He recognized the transportation spell but could not fathom the power that would be needed for a human like Belle to perform such a feat, transportation of two people through space. And that power was coursing through her body, using her energy, her being. Rumpelstiltskin understood the nature of the curse now and the need for the "no harm" clause in the contract, clever clever girl.

He lowered her to the soft green grass of the shady glade, where they had finally materialized. Looking around, he found them entirely alone in the midst of the Infinite Forest. No castle, no grey tower, no irate kings, or slobbering trolls surrounded them. Just the towering trees of the quiet forest.

Rumpelstiltskin felt his old power returned completely, thrumming through his veins as it had for so many years. The fairy spell controlling and imprisoning him was left behind in a dark drafty castle tower. And his rescuer, the woman he had doubted could accomplish the impossible task of saving him, lay unconscious at his feet, half-consumed by an ancient curse.


	3. Saving Belle

Chapter 3

Saving Belle

Dark Castle- dusty chambers, potent magic, a lone spinning wheel... home. Rumpelstiltskin felt exultant coming home to his dark castle: to stretch his legs in its vastness, feel his power unfettered, contemplate revenge and other delightful possibilities that had been suppressed for so long.

But personal desires, as pleasurable as their execution may be, would have to wait. Belle lay on the great room hearth rug, still unconscious, burning with magical residue. The electric blue outline was slowly fading leaving a pale disheveled woman behind.

Clever woman to know that her power would leave her weak and defenseless after saving him, and to provide for that eventuality. According to the contract, Rumpelstiltskin had agreed to personally nurse her back to health. So no deals for a caretaker or nursemaid. No clever rearranging of the wording. No getting around the facts that with his own two hands, and his magic, Rumpelstiltskin was obligated to be nursemaid to the woman that had rescued him.

Rumpelstiltskin knelt at Belle's side to examine her carefully. Auburn strands splayed across the hearth rug, in sharp contrast to the pale skin, red lips slightly parted, compelling blue eyes now hidden in repose. It was wrong she should seem so helpless now when her spirit had blazed so brightly in his prison tower.

Brave or foolish, cursed or powerful, breath-taking or infuriating. Which was she? Perhaps a little bit of all of these.

Rumpelstiltskin slid an arm under Belle's knees, another behind her back to raise her up and she roused fitfully.

"Did... did it work? Are you free now, Rumpelstiltskin?" she asked, drowsily.

"Yes, Belle, it worked," he conceded. "You saved me."

Belle wrapped an arm around his neck. "That's good," she murmured and fell asleep against his shoulder.

Standing up with Belle now nestled in his arms Rumpelstiltskin cast his mind to the cavern deep below his castle and the two vanished from the hearth side...

… and reappeared in a vast dark chamber deep underground. The slow drip of mineral-rich water forming stalactites was the only sound in the darkness, and the only light emanated from a flaming blue whirlpool sunken in the floor of the cave.

Existing long before Rumpelstiltskin occupied the castle, this whirlpool was believed to be mere legend until he had discovered it while exploring his new residence. Many had searched for this restorative pool, calling it the Waters of Life or more colloquially, the Fountain of Youth. Rumpelstiltskin doubted that it really granted eternal youth but he was sure it did cure magical maladies and into it he would have to carry Belle as it was his turn now to save her life.

Maneuvering carefully down the rough stone stairway Rumpelstiltskin reached the edge of the waters and followed the steps into the vortex. The room pitched and a tingling fire spread across his body.

Rumpelstiltskin advanced deeper into the pool, immersing Belle up to her neck in the fiery liquid. Belle grimaced and shook her head without waking, slipping in his grasp and Rumpelstiltskin was forced to lower her feet to the bottom of the pit, holding her tightly against his body, her fevered cheek pressed against his neck. Resting against the cool side of the pool supporting Belle, he waited for the waters to complete their task.

_You could have let her die, _he told himself, _then you wouldn't be here, trapped again, obligated to care for this frail pale snippet of a human being_.

"The contract dictated I save her," he argued back. Conversing with himself was not an occupation he frequently engaged in but he was beginning to understand the enormity of the task he had agreed to when he signed Belle's contract.

_No words have ever bound you. Unless you wanted them to._

"I always honour my deals."

_You are fascinated by the curse's potential. Near unlimited power. What if you could harness that?_

"I already have near unlimited power."

_But,_ he continued, inexorably pushing his point with himself, _with the Sight that comes at the end, you could discover how to get what you most desire._

Rumpelstiltskin was silent. There was no arguing that point. This curse's magic would allow him to See how to acquire the one thing he longed for most but had not the means of attaining. Yet.

_That's why you're keeping her alive. And... she is so intriguing, so beautiful, … so useful._

Rumpelstiltskin contemplated the beauty resting in his arms. "It was a matter of honour."

_Honour!_ he scoffed. _Think you that you have honour?_

Rumpelstiltskin chose to abandon that line of discussion and sensing that the waters had removed all the most recent harmful effects of the curse from Belle, returned to his castle, carrying the magically cleansed woman.

Belle's clothes had not survived the purifying process and Rumpelstiltskin averted his eyes quickly once this problematic situation was discovered, and magicked a loose-fitting tunic from his own wardrobe into place over her still-dripping frame. She was whisked away to a small sofa in front of the great room fireplace, where he could monitor her closely while spinning, enjoying his meals, or plotting the wondrous revenges he had yet to devise.

Dinner was next on the list, and Rumpelstiltskin didn't even bother to visit his barren kitchen, but called a small meal from the air, although it probably materialized from the nearby inn. Any meals thus acquired he made sure did not originate from some poor peasant's cottage but he would cast about for the more wealthy edifices, such as inns, merchants' domiciles, lords' mansions. A castle wedding was always first choice.

Rumpelstiltskin sat on the sofa next to Belle, pulling her up to lean against his chest, held a spoonful of broth to her lips. "Come on, Belle. Time to eat."

Belle swallowed weakly, then turned her face away, too exhausted yet for food. Unfortunately the power that had coursed through her untrained body had caused residual damage that would take some time to heal. She would sleep for days as the healing process continued.

Rumpelstiltskin felt he should be able to snap his fingers and heal her instantly but curses were such tricky bits of magic. The healing waters of the cavern had only stopped the cursed magic she had called forth; Belle still possessed the curse, fully intact. If he removed all magic from her it would also destroy the essence of who she was, a pity really, given the bravery and tenacity she had shown rescuing him.

Rumpelstiltskin called forth a large comfortable overstuffed chair to rest by the fire, next to Belle's sofa. Lowering himself into its depths, Rumpelstiltskin called his dinner to him as well, and contemplated the sleeping beauty beside him. The next few days, he knew, were going to last forever.

-  
Chapter 3 Post-script

Rumpelstiltskin had watched over Belle now for three days, as his contract dictated. He stared out across his vast estate with unseeing eyes, contemplating the quirks of fate, and their perverse delight in providing him unexpected and unwanted excitement when once upon a time he had only craved a quiet peaceful life with a family, a home.

A small sigh pulled him from his musings and he turned around to look down on the pale woman reclining across the great four-poster bed. She grimaced and turned her head towards him, eyes closed, a small groan sounding from the frail frame. Rumpelstiltskin went to her, sitting on the bed beside her and placed his palm on her forehead, feeling the sizzling heat emanating from her. A moment passed and the heat dissipated, the fine features turned peaceful again, the tense body relaxed. When she was resting quietly he removed his hand.

Rumpelstiltskin studied the face of this Belle that was now his responsibility. Her face, pale and gaunt now, consumed by the magic that had saved him from decades of captivity, held an ethereal quality in slumber, oddly compelling, like her electric blue eyes as they had stared into his soul. Rumpelstiltskin raised a golden hand to her face, letting fingers caress one cheek. Belle snuggled into his hand, drawn to his touch, slowly pulled her hand up to cover his own. Rumpelstiltskin sank to his knees at her bedside, hand trapped between warm cheek and sweet stroking hand, his heart dancing in a way he had never known it to do in all his dark years.

Touch, affection, these were things foreign to him, not to his once giving and loving nature, but as the recipient they had been painfully lacking. Yet this woman even in her sleep could wield a small inadvertent caress like a mighty sword and bring him to his knees at her side.

Rumpelstiltskin knew he was in deep trouble, and the woman hadn't even opened her eyes yet.


End file.
